


Just Bit More Perceptive

by CrappyWriterFailing



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-27 16:03:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19794268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrappyWriterFailing/pseuds/CrappyWriterFailing
Summary: The young Inquisitor was just slightly more perceptive of his options, and everything started to change.





	1. Chapter 1

Epeciv'e knew the fate of Sith Apprentices. Their Master's would use them to gain power, and either the apprentice overcame this and was useful enough to be killed, or they ended up dead. Then, there was one other option - The apprentice could kill the master and take said Master's place of power. That, of course, was the ideal. Epeciv'e knew that despite all Zash's claims that she was being open and honest, that she was a conniving woman. People didn't get that far up the power structure by being honest of all things. Epeciv'e didn't need his dead ancestor to tell him that much. How Zash had gone about everything was the real surprise. Now, Epeciv'e had a Dashade with a bitch of a woman who he'd never be able to get rid of. For all the bond between Sith and Dashade had kept him safe from Zash's physical attacks, he had no doubt she'd figure out a way around it eventually.

Now there was Thanaton to contend with.

A new master, of which Epeciv'e had no information, other than what he was given in brief moments.

Epeciv'e had kept in mind the words from Spindrall so long ago. When he had first heard of Thanaton Epeciv'e had looked for information on the man. The only things he learned was that Thanaton was the direct underling of a Dark Council Member and Zash's direct boss. Belief-wise, he made no move to hide from the masses he wanted a traditional society. Something that Epeciv'e was directly against. Being Alien and a former slave. Not that he was alien by blood, but Epeciv'e had never bothered to make that distinction. His adoption was his personal business. It wasn't his fault that people never bothered to look behind the surface of it all. He touched his eyes, covered with sections of thick, black bindings. Yes, despite his blood, he was _Imarul'ak_. (Miraluka)

Thinking of that now wouldn't change the current situation. Once again Epeciv'e was being sent into the tomb of a dark lord and expected to leave with relics. How many times would this story occur?

Thanaton demanded loyalty, then sent him off.

Tuk'ata? On Dromund Kaas? It was starting to feel more like Korriban.

It was a horrible situation, a rock and a hard place. Of course, Epeciv'e didn't want to face the dead Darth Andru, but what choice did he have? Either he could face this dead Darth and potentially rise, or he could go back, and end up dead by the hands of his new master. Whisperers of the mad dead sith echoed through the tomb on the wings of the defending infestation of Havorisk - The dreadful, winged creatures. The man was clearly insane, it seemed many sith lords lost their head after death, or even at the idea of dying. Epeciv'e wondered what made him so different, as he calmly walked toward his death.

Reaching the end of the tomb, the white outline of the dead apparition appeared, "Trespasser! Trespasser! You'll not have it. It's mine. It's the last place in the galaxy that's mine!"

"You can have the tomb, I just want the writings."

Epeciv'e wanted attempted to reason, but could already tell it wasn't going to work. Darth Andru clearly had no idea who he was facing, the man was stuck in the past, probably thinking it was but moments after his death, "... The venom may have burned away my sight, but I know you. Don't make my mistake - Strangle your children at birth!"

"I'm not here to chat -"

And the Force overcame his body. Try as he might, Epeciv'e couldn't find a similar grasp on Andru, his grasping with the force coming up empty handed for the first time in the young sith's life. The _Imaru'ak_ (Miraluka) had known, of course, that it was likely he would die, but he hadn't been truly prepared for it. Then the familiar masked vestige of his long-dead ancestor came into light, and he swatted the dead lord away like a fly.

It put a few things into perspective.

Before coming to the tomb, Epeciv'e had been told that the Lord who was causing people to go insane had been Lord Kallig. He woke and controlled the minds and affected people ranging from slaves to full-blown sith lords. Someone who had gone toe to toe with Tulak Hord. Kallig was, by far, the strongest person Epeciv'e had ever interacted with, even in death. This realization was beyond worth the lecture that came with it, "Look around you! See the bones! The tattered robes! This is where Thanaton leads those he despises to death. You follow him blindly when you should plan to defeat him!"

"Please, _Naec'otr_ (Ancestor) end the lecture. I wouldn't be so naive as to trust Thanaton, I didn't trust Zash after all. The issue is, what else was I to do. I'm not currently powerful enough to defeat Thanaton, and if I went back without the writings, that would be death. I felt that I had more of a chance of living going this route. I understand that I was wrong to think that way now." Epeciv'e articulated, trying to calm down the powerful man.

Kallig seemed to be thinking it over, "Acceptable, I understand your reasoning, as misguided as it was. Listen, as this might be your best chance. You have the power to defeat Thanaton, but it would take years to cultivate. I believe you must use your rare pull among the ghosts to your advantage. It's a source of great power, rare among the sith, and far more common among the Jedi. It's been the destruction of many a Sith, but it may be your only chance."

"A pull among the ghosts?"

"Many can feel you from afar, as I did, but you also evoke emotion in them, as with Andru. In my time, there were many Sith searching for ways to commune and take power from the dead. A Sith named Ergast was said to devour ghosts the way your Dashade devours Force users. His knowledge was buried with him near the Dark Temple. Seek this knowledge. Augment your power and face your new master. My power wanes from forcing myself through the vail to see you, I won't have the power to protect you again."

Epeciv'e watched as his _Naec'otr_ (Ancestor) faded from view.

Already the wheels were turning in the young Sith's head. A way to take power from a long-dead Force user...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Within this fic, there is going to be a lot of head-canon types of Mikaluka stuff. I also made a code for the language, as try as I might I couldn't find much about the language itself. (Or even the lore behind the Mikaluka people.) Still, as a fanfic writer that's an amazing situation with a lot of potentials for me to do whatever the fuck I want. So thus I will list the words at the end of every chapter. Within the first chapter I use a word, I will also put the meaning next to it. If it's a sentence I will always have the translation in brackets, and in the footnote. 
> 
> Ancestor = Naec'otr  
> Miraluka = Imarul'ak


	2. Chapter 2

Epeciv'e fought his way through the tombs - again. Once again toward ancient artefacts and knowledge. Though he genuinely loved gathering knowledge such as this, he didn't like doing it when his life was being threatened. Still, one must move forward. Eventually, Epeciv'e found the area, or at least, he thought so. The aura of this place was like nothing Epeciv'e had felt, even though the rest of the tomb. 

"Welcome Seeker, I am the servant of Ergast, keeper of his knowledge. Who stands before me and what do you wish to learn?" 

Epeciv'e pondered his response for a moment, before deciding it was best to go with the most polite route. Bowing, "Wise keeper of secrets, I seek a ritual that will protect me from an angry ghost." 

"There is no protection to death, but you may bind such a ghost and borrow their strength for a time. You must learn to bind both sides of the Force, life and death, in what is known as the Force walk." 

Something wasn't right about this. Maybe it was the fact that he'd been betrayed and threatened with death far too much lately, but this just didn't seem sincere. Plus, this man was a Sith, why was he just freely giving this knowledge? Despite Epeciv'e's own belief that knowledge should be shared, he knew that many of his fellow Sith didn't share that thought process.

"I will try my best, should you agree to teach me." 

"Look at the bones of the others who searched for this knowledge who lay around you dead. This is not an easily taught skill. You must drink of the poison, if you can't learn to Force Walk quickly enough, the poison will take you."

So in other words, this keeper of knowledge was telling the _Imarul'ak_ that he came here to die. Wasn't this day just filled with wonderful revelations? Still, Epeciv'e hadn't come all this way only to die. If the Imarul'akhad to, he would stay in these tombs forever until such a time that he found an answer. Perhaps he could run away from Thanaton until he gained enough strength to strike the Darth down. 

"No other knowledge remains from Ergast? I refuse to risk poisoning myself in an old Sith tomb in order to get my answer. I came here to search for a way to live, not for another way to die." 

The imagine smirked, almost impressed, "Interesting. You know all others come for something similar. They all sought power and died for it, not strong enough, or quick enough to learn the ritual after having taken the poison. Perhaps you would have been different, I rather think you would have, but you resisted. You held on to your cunning and guile even as I presented power over death itself to you. That is a person worthy of my true teachings. Within this relic is my Holocron, documenting all of my work. Take it, learn from it, distribute the knowledge as you see fit. Go forth into this world knowing you are now a legacy of Ergast." 

The relic Ergast was speaking of folded open, and within it sat the Holocron he'd spoken of. To think, this Sith had claimed to be a servant, when the whole time he was the man himself. Ergast was a clever man, who apparently liked seeing those similar survive. Far too many sith didn't stop and think, just reacting on emotion alone, and that was never enough in the end. Only those that could temper their emotions ended up lasting - Though they would deny it. They would say that controlling your emotions was a path of weakness. The denial on both sides of the issue ran deep - But also wasn't the point here. 

"Thank you for your teachings Lord Ergast, I will do my best to ensure they endure," Epeciv'e spoke, genuinely bowing to the man this time. Ergast looked almost appreciative of that before he disappeared with a dismissive way toward the exit to his tomb.

Clearly, it was time for the _Imarul'ak_ to leave. Likely, Ergast was intent on finding someone new to test. So, he left, making the dangerous trek back to his ancestor's tomb. That was the place he felt most safe in this wretched place. The room wasn't amazing, it smelled of static air that hadn't been circulated out of the tomb in thousands of years. It was dry though, unlike other area's of the tomb, and it wasn't dripping with so much _da'ofec_ (Dark Force/Sith) as the rest of the tombs. There were places in the tomb where it hurt to look - even the reminder of it brought the _Imarul'ak's_ 'eyes' toward such an area. Likely a product of Tulak Hord making sure his largest threat was safely buried. The second he entered the room, Epeciv'e could feel his _Naec'otr's_ faint presence. Kneeling down in the centre of the room, Epeciv'e allowed himself to drop into a light meditation and reached out with the Force toward the Holocron. Immediately, the Holocron flared to life. The energy contained within was remarkably even, pragmatic as Ergast himself had appeared. 

The teachings flowed through Epeciv'e. A Holocron could take hours to go through, but this one seemed particularly filled. It could several days - The Force would sustain the young Sith however, so he wasn't overly worried about it. 

It talked of the scientific process, of all the steps Ergast had taken in order to understand the dead the way he had. Ergast talked about trying the Force Walk, the success, the failures, and the overreaching he had taken which caused his death. The body couldn't hold more than one ghost at any given time, and Ergast had bond two within himself. Within weeks the man started to notice his state suffering and wanted to complete his research. He had theories of different ways of binding, thoughts on how to gain his recovery, but nothing that could pan out in time. There was one theory in particular that stuck out to the Young Sith. 

> "I theorize that perhaps things would be different if I was related to those I bound. The link which was already present in the Force would soften the jarring power. Beyond that, the one whom you bound would likely be far more amiable, and the relation would give you even greater access to the Force. The likes of which you wouldn't be able to achieve with the ghost fighting you every step of the way. The more the one you bind wants to help the one they are bound to, the more stable the connection would be. It pains me to say there is no way to test this theory. It is the fate of the Sith to be powerful, but mistrustful. No one would test such a theory. My curiousity almost bids me to teach Force Walking to a Jedi, if only to see if the theory is correct. I restrain myself, however. I doubt they would accept the teachings of a dying Sith as anything more than an attempt to corrupt them." 

This was beyond an interesting theory. It was perfect for Epeciv'e and his own situation. Perhaps too perfect, yet likely the best chance that he had. 

" _Naec'otr_ , an opportunity presents itself." 

Epeciv'e opened his eyes, days of meditation making his sight blurry, but he saw his Ancestor floating before him. Perhaps the man was slightly less tangible visually, but he was surely there.

"What say you, Flesh of my Flesh?" 

Flesh of my Flesh, the Kallig had been calling Epeciv'e that ever since their first meeting. It was almost heartening. It gave Epeciv'e some hope that the man would at least listen to his suggestion. Still, it would undoubtedly seem like a power grab, any Sith would do it, but not as many would allow it. Even if the one in question was dead. Still, Kallig had made it clear that he wanted his line to rise back to power and make up for Kallig's past mistakes. The situation seemed most promising. 

"Ergast has a theory of relatives using the Force Walk with full consent drawing unprecedented power. Otherwise, his technique is flawed. I likely couldn't face Thanaton even with two powerful ghosts inside of me, not with them fighting it every step of the way. Even then, binding more than one ghost is a death sentence. I see one way out of this _Naec'otr_ were you to allow it." 

"You wish to bind me." 

The ghost's voice was clear, but not giving away what he thought of the suggestion. 

"It is the plan with the most benefits and the least amount of drawbacks, yes." 

Kallig observed his descendant. Ever since he'd first sensed the young Sith, Kallig had known the youngling would be their families path back to power. His one regret in life was that he hadn't secured his legacy and his family. The question being posed to him right now was whether or not it would be his regret in death as well. that was why he was so stern when talking to the youngling when he saw him reaching for those writings. Undoubtedly, his descendant wasn't expecting him to look kindly on the offer. They were Sith... But Kallig had been watching his descendant ever since he first felt the child ripple through the force. He'd seen some of the struggles the child went through. Kallig would never say it aloud but he somewhat trusted that this young Sith was genuine about his reasoning behind wanting to bind his ancestor. 

"I will permit the binding, Flesh of my Flesh, but you will not depend on my power." 

The words echoed, Epeciv'e's _Naec'otr_ didn't explain the words, but the warning held heavy. 

"Then off to kill Thanaton we go." Epeciv'e simpered, a dangerous grin rising to his lips. 

Feeling the Force rise within him, the _Imarul'ak_ took a calming breath. No need to get all worked up, revenge could come after securing the win. Besides, he didn't want to be anything but clear-minded when he bound his _Naec'otr_ , the last thing he wanted was something going wrong. Looking toward the man, he could tell Kallig was waiting on him. Breathing in deeply, he thought back to the teachings of the Holocron. There had been step-by-step instructions, as well as a recording of Ergast himself performing the ritual successfully. So long as you had an affinity for the dead, as Epeciv'e did, the technique was easy. The difficult part came with the spirit struggling. Since he was binding a family member this should go off without a hitch. Gathering the Force, Epeciv'e placed his hands flat next to his waist, slowly, he turned his palms and breathed out, building the Force with each movement. Sweat gathered on his brow in concentration. Palms faced completely toward his ancestor, Epeciv'e commanded the force to wrap around Kallig, before forming fists and drawing the Force back into himself. 

Along with the new passenger. 

His body rippled, twisted as the Force contorted within him. How could Ergast have ever thought to bind a ghost to himself more than once was a good idea with this type of pain being related to the process? It was hard to even keep his mind under such pain - The last thing that Epeciv'e wanted was to pass out in this tomb. 

It didn't seem that he had an option, however. 

* * *

**Wake, Blood of my Blood, we have work to do.**

Epeciv'e blinked his eyes open, he slowly brought himself into a sitting position. His body felt as though it had been through the wringer... But his connection to the Force had never been stronger. If he didn't keep knowledge of his time constraints, Epeciv'e likely would have started to meditate and dive into the Force, testing it's new depths. There would be time after they killed their rival. 

**It is time to secure our line.**

Epeciv'e hummed in agreement, it would seem that his _Naec'otr_ was within his head now. There were worse fates, like no longer being among the living, for example. 

**It's actually quite fascinating. If I wanted to, I could break the mental connection and just float within the Force. Still, I felt like the connection would be more serviceable for now. Should it be unwelcome, I shall abid your wish.**

"No, I find it quite fascinating myself. Likely useful as well, I'm sure you have a great amount of knowledge. My only complaint is that I don't want my _Graf'wehr_ (Grandfather) witnessing my most intimate moments. How embarising~!" Epeciv'e drawled out, a smirk rising to his lips. He could feel a chuckle erupting within his mind, but it died quickly.

**I see you are in high spirits, Grandchild, but perhaps save it until we've conquered our foe.**

"Quite right." Epeciv'e agreed, but he was clearly far more jovial than he had been ever since he met with Thanaton in person for the first time. It was surprising, the weight that you could have on you when your life was in danger. He felt like he could win this fight, that he would live, and that was far better than he'd felt in days, maybe even months. Ever since coming under Zash's apprenticeship, he'd been constantly fearing for his life. Unsure of what the witch was up too. Now he had the one who had constantly warned him of the coming danger at his side, in his head, and he could feel the power currently flowing through him. 

Yes, there was little to fear. Both Epeciv'e and Kallig would have this situation at hand soon enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ancestor = Naec'otr  
> Miraluka = Imarul'ak  
> Sith = Da'ofec  
> Grandfather = Graf'wehr


End file.
